Emergency reflective road marker



Juiy 11, 1961 MURRAY, 5R 2,991,699

EMERGENCY REFLECTIVE ROAD MARKER Filed March 5, 1959 INVENTOR. Hugh A.Murray Sr.

ATTORNEYS United States Ptent 2,991,699 EMERGENCY REFLECTIVE ROAD MARKERHugh A. Murray, Sr., Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to I.D.L.

Incorporated, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Mar.5, 1959, Ser. No. 797,528 1 Claim. (01. 88-79) This invention pertainsgenerally to traffic warning signals and more specifically to anemergency warning signal which may be conveniently carried in a motorvehicle in a flat folded condition and readily erected and displayed asan emergency signal which is visible by day or night.

A frequent cause of traffic accidents upon crowded highways is theemergency stopping of a vehicle upon or at the side of a highway byreason of mechanical or tire failures or for other reasons, and anoncoming car crashing into the stopped vehicle before the driver of themoving car is cognizant of the fact that the other vehicle is, in fact,motionless.

Highway traflic warning signals have been used by road maintenance crewsand contractors during highway building and repairs but nothing is nowknown to exist as a portable signal which may be conveniently stored ina motor vehicle for use during emergency stopping or repairs of thevehicle at the side of the roadway.

One object of the invention is to provide an emergency traflic warningsignal which is compact, light in weight, of low cost and highvisibility by day or by night.

Another object of the invention is to provide an emergency tratficwarning signal which may be readily mounted on the roadway or at theside thereof in the vicinity of a parked passenger car or truck or whichmay be mounted within the vehicle so as to be readily visible tooncoming traflic.

Another object of the invention is to provide an emergency trafficwarning signal of the type described which may be readily adapted forwearing upon the person of the user when engaged in emergency directionof traflic or while working on a vehicle which may be parked at the sideof a highway during an emergency.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an emergencytraflic warning signal of the character described which is lightreflective so as to possess high visibility during the daylight hoursand highly reflective of light from car headlights at night.

These and other objects of the invention will be made apparent from thefollowing description and the drawings forming a part thereof wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a plan view of an elongated rectangular cardboard blanksuitably formed to provide the warning signals of the invention;

FIG. 2 shows an isometric view of one form of signal when folded forerection in the vicinity of a vehicle to warn oncoming traflic;

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of another form of the warning signal whenfolded for use upon the person or within the body of a vehicle; and,

FIG. 4 shows another form of the signal folded for storing within thevehicle or for use as a mailing piece for ready distribution.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, reference character 1 indicatesgenerally a rectangular cardboard blank for forming the emergencywarning signal. Inwardly from each end of the blank and extendingtransversely thereof are scored fold lines 2 and 3 defining portions 4and 5 providing the base of the signal when mounted upon or adjacent ahighway. Portion 4 is provided with slits 6 disposed transversely of theblank and extending inwardly from opposite side margins thereof. Portion5 has slits 7 extending longitudinally of the blank 1 and disposedinwardly from side opposite margins thereof to receive the 8, itprovides side walls 8a and 8b of the signal. Adjacent the outer end ofthe side wall 8b are slits 7a in longitudinal alignment with the slits 7and inwardly spaced relation thereto for reception of the tongues 6awhen the signal is folded for other uses, such as upon the person ordisplay within the vehicle.

Referring now to FIG. 2 of the drawings, the emergency signal is shownfolded into generally triangular shape for mounting at the side of thehighway in the vicinity of thev parked vehicle where it may be weighteddown by a stone or other suitable means placed upon the portions 4 and 5forming the base of the signal. As shown in FIG. 2, the tongue portions6a of the portion 4 are inserted through the slits 7 of the portion 5 toretain the signal in assembled relation. The signal, so assembled, mayalso be displayed through the car rear window.

Referring now to FIG. 3 of the drawings, wherein the signal is folded soas to be worn as an arm band by the user, the portion 5 of the strip isturned inwardly and the portion 4 is lapped over the face 8b of thesignal with the tongues 6a inserted in the slots 7a of the signal face8b. This forms a generally elliptical band which can be readily slippedover the arm of the wearer so that the stripes thereon may be readilyvisible to oncoming traflic While the wearer is working at the side ofthe parked vehicle, or otherwise engaged on the highway. If the vehicleis to be parked and unattended, the signal in the form shown in FIG. 3can be readily slipped over the interior sun visor flap so that when theflap is lowered the signal will be visible through the windshield facingoncoming traffic. Where two such signals are within the vehicle thesecond signal can be folded as in FIG. 2 and exposed through the rearwindow of the vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings, the blank 1 may be folded about thefold line 8 with the stripe printed faces disposed inwardly and thesignal secured together by inserting the tongue 6a in the slits 7a as inFIG. 4. The exposed plain sides of the signal may be used for addressingpurposes for transmittal of the signal through the mail, as a mailingpiece. Also the signal may be so folded, as in FIG. 4, for storagewithin the vehicle so as to retain the printed faces against soil whichmay inhibit their light reflective properties.

The cardboard blank 1, as shown in FIG. 1, from which the signal isformed may be made of any suitable material and preferably both faces ofblank 1 are calendered or otherwise treated so as to be temporarilymoisture resistant. Light reflecting or fluorescent inks or paintsforming the stripes 9 and 10 are Well known, commercially available,materials and no further identification of such materials is deemednecessary for the purposes of this invention. The preferred coloring ofthe stripes is a silver color between red colored stripes as both arevisible under natural and artificial lighting. The color red is also auniversal danger signal. Obviously, other colors may be used to form thestripes or even a single solid color may be used. A signal of the typedescribed may be completely manufactured in large quantities for merepennies, so that even one emergency use will justify the cost thereof.'Such a signal, unless abused, may be re-used a number of times and inany of its forms.

I claim:

A warning signal selectively foldable into a triangular or ellipticalshape comprising a rectangular unitary body member of semi-rigidfoldable material having two rectangular intermediate sections ofsubstantially the same size and two smaller rectangular end sections,said sections being defined by three para llel spaced fold linesimpressed into the material and extending transversely thereof, one saidsmaller rectangular end section of the unitary body member beingprovided with two slits disposed in adjacent parallel spaced relationwith the adjacent transverse marginal edge of the said unitary bodymember, one of said slits extending inwardly from each adjacentlongitudinal edge of the said unitary body member, each of said slitshaving their inner ends terminating short of the longitudinal centerline through said rectangular unitary body member and providingtransversely disposed deflectable corner tongue members defined betweenthe slits and adjacent transverse edge of the said unitary body member,the other of said smaller rectangular end sections being provided withtwo transversely spaced longitudinally extending slits disposed betweenand parallel with the opposite longitudinal edges of the said unitarybody member, said latter slits terminating short of the adjacent foldline and the adjacent outer transverse edge of the rectangular unitarybody member, the adjacent end portion of the adjacent intermediatesection of the said unitary body member being provided with two spacedlongitudinally extending slits of substantially the same length as andlongitudinally aligned with the slits of the adjacent body end section,said slits in the said intermediate section being spaced from theadjacent fold line between the intermediate and slitted end section toreceive the tongues of the opposite end section after all body membersections are folded about their respective fold lines with the tonguedend section overlapping the folded intermediate sections and the foldedslitted end section is disposed between the overlapped foldedintermediate sections.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSAndrews Jan. 20, 1959 Harris Apr. 14, 1959

